Clothespin



F. M. KILFOYLE.

CLOTHESPIN.

' ABPLICATIQN man MAY 20, 1920.

Patentd 1300.6, 1921.

stares FRED 1V1. KILFOYLE, 0F STORES, V

OLO'IHESPIN,

eas es.

Application filed. May 20,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that L'Fnnn M: KILroY n, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Storrs, in the county of Carbon and State of Utah, haveinvented a certain new and Improved Clothespin, of which the follow. ing is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of my specification.

My invention relates to a pin forhanging or securing clothes on a line; the invention having for its object the provision of. a construction which will firmly grip the clothes and hold the same against accidental removal or displacement; while atthe same time providing a construction which willv obviate the necessity of placing the clothes over the line as is the case with clothes pins as at present employed.

The invention contemplates a pin, of the character described, intended to be made from suitable non-rusting metal and formed so that the pin, with the attached clothes, may-be snapped onto and suspended from the line or'wire; at the same time providing a construction which will in' no way injure or tear the clothes. 7

The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the. following detailed description or the drawing, wherein Figure 1 illustrates my improved pin in elevation. a

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of thearrows; with the nongripping condition of the pin shown in dotted lines. y

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in'the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a detail view'illustrating a modified form.

My improved clothespin contemplates two elements or members; each preferably composed of metal such asnon-rusting spring wire and the specific embodiment of the in-. vention as disclosed in the first three figures of the drawing, comprises a main portionolO formed from a suitable length of wire bent at an intermediate point so as to provide the two parts or legs 11 and-12 arranged in spaced relation and substantially parallel with each other throughout a major portion of its length as shownin Fig. 1. Each part or leg 11 and 12 atits :upper or disconnected Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nee. c, 1.921.

1920. Serial No. 382,811.

2 part is looped or preferably coiled as shownat 13, in'an outward direction, that is away from the adjacent part or leg and terminating in the free ends 14: which arefdisposed in a directiontoward the opposite or closed end of the pin. The f ee ends it are also preferably provided with double or ogee curve as shown at 15 in Fig. '2, and normally disposed at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of the pin. .Both parts or legs 11' and 12 at a point slightlyin advance of the loops or coils 13, are shown provided with a slight bend in the direction away from the free ends 1 1, as shown at 16 in Fig. 2. This bend 16 in conjunction with the curvature 15 in the ends 14; provides a pocket or space 17 adapted to receive the line or wire, see Fig. 2;

The opposite or closed end of the pin is bent so as to provide the substantially paral lel portions 18 and the laterally bowed and more widely separated portions'19. As can be seen in 1, the bowed portions'l9 pro vide an enlarged opening or pocket wh ch CQDStltHtGS the clothes-receiving and releasing portion or the pin,'namely the point where the second or movable element of the pin accomplishes its gripping and releasing functions;

The second element or gripping member 20. of the pin, like the main member 10, is

also preferably composed of non-rusting.

spring wire bent back into loop. form, with theends wound about the legs or parts 11 and 12 as indicated at 21: the turns or coils about the parts or legs being such as to permit member 20 to freely slide lengthwise of the main member or element 10 from a point adj acent. the enlarged or laterally bent part 19 toward the opposite end of the main portion. The intermediate or loop end of grip-.

pingelement or member 20 is bent substantially at right angles in a direction toward the main member 10 so as to provide the gripping end or head 22. At the point where the element or member 20 is bent to form the head 22, the two strands of member 20- are bent toward each other so as to permit said restricted portion or neck to pass through the lower end of element 10, intermediate. of the substantially parallel portions 18 thereof while the head 22 is-disposed therethrough and to the oppositeside oi 'the main element or member, ascan more clearly be seen in Fig. 2.

It is evident from this construction that when the element or member 20 is at the lower end of the main element or member 10 as disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be in interloclrmg relation with the main element 10 or in clothes-gripping position, because the head portion 22 is of greater transverse dimensions than the distance intermediate of the substantially parallel portions 18 of the main member. In order therefore to release the head or gripping portion 22, it is necessary to move element or member 20 lengthwise of main member or element .10 until the head or gripping portion 22 reaches the opening provided by the bowed portions 19. i

The ends of the wire which form the gripping element or movable part 20 are preferably bent toward each other and outwardly at right angles to both members so as to provide the thumb or finger-engaging portion 23, through the medium of which the element or member 20 may be manipulated and caused to slide lengthwise of the main element or member 10.

The main member 10, or rather both strands or legs 11 and 12 thereof, are preferably each provided with a slight bend in a direction away from theside on 'which member 20 is disposed, as shown at 241'; this bend 2 1 being at a distance from the laterally bent or bowed portions 19and substantially corresponding with the length of the movable member 20, to enable the gripping end or-head 22 to reach the enlarged opening formed by the laterally bent portions 19, preferably slightly before the coiled part 21 of member 20 reaches the bend 2d of the main member or element 10. The purpose in providing the bend 24 in the main ele ment or member 10 is to maintain the gripping element or movable member 20 in releasing and raised position or somewhat separate relation with the member 10, as

shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In practice, the clothes are placed across the enlarged opening formed by the laterally bowed and widely separated portions 19; the movable member 20 is then forced lengthwise of the main member 10, its head 22, with the clothes, forced through the opening just referred to and the member 20 slid toward the closed end of member 10, when the head or gripping portion22 of member 20 with the clothes will be firmly gripped by the lower substantially parallel portions 18; the clothes being securely held between the neck or restricted portion 25 of the movable member 20 and the substantially parallel portions 18 of the main element or member 10; the head 22, of course, preventing any separating or lateral movement of member 20 in a direction away from the main element or member 10 as long as the movable member or element 20 is in the position indicated in Fig. 1. It has been found in practice, that the clothes will not only be held in placeby the movable element 20, but any downward pull on the clothes will induce a firmer gripping relation between the elesure so as to force the line or wire to the point indicated at 17 in Fig. 2. 'With the pin made of spring wire, it is evident that the free ends 14 will flex outwardly to permit the passage of the line or'wire and at the same time provide a gripping relation therewith. V V q It is apparent that with my impoved construction, the clothes will be suspended beneath the line or wire so that the clothes will be prevented from contacting with the line or wire and the possibility of becoming soiled by the line therefore eliminated. With my improved construction, the difiiculty and labor encountered inhanging clothes on a wire located out in the open, es1 )ecially during cold weather when the clothes are apt to freeze on the wire or line, W111 be overcome ated; while at the same time elminating the necessity for constantly cleaning theline or wire before the clothes are hung on for drying. In constructing-my improved pins of non-rusting spring wire, they may, when necessary, be cleaned in hot water and thus prevent the clothes from becomingmarred or soiled at points' where they are attached. Furthermore, my improved nin will enable the user to attach or suspend the clothes from a line or wire which is suspende-dor arranged at an elevation somewhat-abovethe reach of the user without the necessity of climbing, because in such instances, the lower attachingend of the pin may be grasped by the user and snapped over the wire or line ar ranged overhead.

Instead of providing the movable element or member 20 with the twists 21 disposed about the strands orlegs of the main element 10, the movable'member 20may be 1 two parallelly disposed portions 27 and 28, I

provided with alined apertures for the passage'of the strands of legs 29. of the main element or member; the alined apertures be ing of a size sufficient to permit the gripping member to have sliding relation with the 3' main member or element.

While my improved pin may be made of any suitable material, I prefer, however, to

construct the pin out of round metal or spr ng wire so asto present rounded surfaces to the clothes and thus prevent the possibility of injury to the clothes when the latter is wedged or gripped in the lower gripping end of the pin; the metal or wire at the same time possessing suflicient resiliency to enable a gripping relation being formed with the line or wire.

I have shown and described what I believe to be the simplest and best embodiments of my invention, but modifications may be made in certain details without, however, departing from the spirit of my'invention.

What I claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is l. A clothes pin, comprising a main member composed of a single piece of non-rusting wire bent to provide two parallelly arranged strands or portions, with the ends of the strands or portions curled upon themselves to provide resiliency and terminating in downwardly presented portions disposed toward one side or" a longitudinal axis of the main portion and normally tending to move toward a plane substantially parallel with the main portion, said downwardly presentedfportions constituting line gripping portions, while at the intermediate or closed end of the member the strands are disposed in parallel relation for a predetermined distance nd then bent laterally in opposite directions to provide an enlarged space therebetween terminating in a restricted elongated gripping loop, and a second member composed of a single piece of wire bent into loop form to provide similarly disposed strands or portions whose ends are formed to slide on the strands of the main member above said enlarged space, the ends 01": the

second member being bent to provide afingar-engaging portion while the intermediate closed end of the second member is bent at right angles to the main part thereof and loop,

2. A clothes pin, comprising a main member composed of a single piece of wire bent to provide two parallelly arranged strands or portions, the ends whereof are curled upon themselves and terminate in downwardly presented portions disposed toward one side of the longitudinal axis of the main portion and normally tending to move toward a plane substantially parallel with said main portion to provide a line grippingportion, the strands at the intermediate or closed end of the member, for a short predetermined distance, being disposed in parallel relation and then bent laterally in opposite direc tions to provide an enlarged space th'erebetween, terminating in an elongated gripping the strands of the first member at a point intermediate of said enlarged space and the line gripping portions thereof being bent toward one side or the longitudinal axis of the member, opposite to the side of the line gripping ends, and a second member composed of a single piece of wire bent into loop form to provided parallelly disposed strands or portions whose ends are coiled about the strands of the main member atr a point above said enlarged space, to permit the second member to slide lengthwise of the first member onto the last mentioned bent part thereof whereby the free end of the second member is caused tomove away from the first member, the intermediate or closed end of the second member being bent at right angles thereto and adapted to be disposed through the elongated gripping loop of the first member.

l'Vitnesses WM. J ORDISON, Gno. JoRDIsoN.

FRED M. KILFOYLE. V 

